Week 4: 4/24/05

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFCC80" TEXT="#080000" background="67cc8b83.jpg"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Random Things to Make You Giggle"><B>Random Things to Make You Giggle</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id77.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hong Kong Disneyland"><B>Hong Kong Disneyland</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Parkview Apartment"><B>Our Parkview Apartment</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 1: 4/3/05"><B>Week 1: 4/3/05</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 2: 4/10/05"><B>Week 2: 4/10/05</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 3: 4/17/05"><B>Week 3: 4/17/05</B></A></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f00000cc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Week 4: 4/24/05 </B></div> <div> <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 5: 5/1/05 "><B>Week 5: 5/1/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 6: 5/8/05 "><B>Week 6: 5/8/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 7: 5/15/05 "><B>Week 7: 5/15/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 8: 5/22/05 "><B>Week 8: 5/22/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 9: 5/29/05 "><B>Week 9: 5/29/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 10: 6/5/05 "><B>Week 10: 6/5/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 11: 6/12/05 "><B>Week 11: 6/12/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 12: 6/19/05 "><B>Week 12: 6/19/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 13: 6/26/05 "><B>Week 13: 6/26/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 14: 7/3/05 "><B>Week 14: 7/3/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 15: 7/10/05 "><B>Week 15: 7/10/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 16: 7/17/05 "><B>Week 16: 7/17/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 17: 7/24/05 "><B>Week 17: 7/24/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 18: 7/31/05 "><B>Week 18: 7/31/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 19: 8/7/05 "><B>Week 19: 8/7/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 20: 8/14/05 "><B>Week 20: 8/14/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id71.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 21: 8/21/05 "><B>Week 21: 8/21/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id74.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 22: 8/28/05 "><B>Week 22: 8/28/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id76.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 23: 9/4/05 "><B>Week 23: 9/4/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 24: 9/11/05 "><B>Week 24: 9/11/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 25: 9/18/05 "><B>Week 25: 9/18/05 </B></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Australian Sunrise" ><B>Welcome to Chase family planet!</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Australian Sunrise" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >    |    </FONT> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to Chase family planet!">home</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Adventures in Asia">Adventures in Asia</A>   ·   <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us">Contact Us</A></div> <bR> <div> Week 4: 4/24/05 </div> <div> <B>Week Four: One Month!</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Hello Ladies and Gents!</B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> Is anyone as tired as I am from all this traveling? Whew! I'm getting worn out. Not to mention that as soon as Nathan got better last week, it was my turn to get sick, with a nasty gastrointestinal bug that left me pretty weak, trying to take care of two boys while Michael was in L.A., far away. I'll kindly spare you the details which are horrifying (but not without a few comic moments) since some parts just aren't rated PG (too much violence). And yes, for all you maternal types, I am drinking only bottled water, staying away from street-vendor food places, washing and rewashing all our fruits and veggies, scrubbing my hands like a mad woman, and taking my vitamins. Just thank goodness that the boys didn't catch it... Needless to say, my enlightening and in depth expose on the delightful grocery markets in Hong Kong will have to wait another week or two, I just don't have the stomach to look at, much less write about, the unusual things we've seen in the past couple of weeks.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Unrest and large guns</U></B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> So I've told you about all the animosity of China towards Japan over textbooks that downplay the things Japan did to China. Things got amped up a bit during the week when people in Hong Kong started protesting (of course, while Michael was away!). The protests in Hong Kong were very tame and peaceful, however, in contrast with the continuing reports from Shenzhen and Shanghai and Beijing, where serious property damage is happening to the Japanese consulate, Japanese cars, and even, of all things, a Sony Billboard. This is a bit disturbing to me. Reading the editorials in the newspaper each day is quite interesting, with mud (and sticks and stones) flying back and forth with local Japanese (and many Western expats) saying "hey ya'll, China's history textbooks aren't so realistic either, look at Tiananmen Square and the so called 'incident' that happened there, per the history teachers". In return, local Chinese say "Hello?! This is not about what China did to China, this is about what Japan did to China and how they are totally dissing us yet again!" (Okay, I've paraphrased to save some space, but you get the general idea). At any rate, it all makes me grateful that in the past decade, America's protests have happened over the internet rather than in groups of 20,000 marching on the capitol, throwing rocks and destroying things, and burning effigies of the Prime Minister! It just makes me a little jumpy and nervous. So you understand my frame of mind when on Tuesday, Ben and I went exploring a bit while Nathan was at school. </div> <div> We were searching for a little hand mixer (success! And it works! I make cupcakes every other day! We're catching up on the appliances!) and then I decided to go off the beaten path and wander up and down some alleys and do some window shopping somewhere other than the glitzy, overpriced malls. I found a tiny stationery store, and a Chinese pharmacy selling all manner of herbs and roots. I nearly got run over by a taxi, since I looked left instead of right when I crossed a street (they drive on the opposite side of the road here) and felt very satisfied that I had seen a different facet of Hong Kong. Then I turned a corner and saw five men dressed in all black, carrying riffles which were aimed at a large crowd. I was standing by the side of a bus shelter, and I found that my feet had turned into concrete blocks. I wanted to turn and run, but all I did was squeeze Ben even tighter and then started worrying about Mike in L.A. and how he had no idea where I was, and Nathan at school- who would pick him up from the bus if something happened to me? When my heart started beating again, I noticed that although these guys were carrying riffles, no one in the crowd seemed to notice. In fact, when I took a second look, I noticed that no one was even paying any attention to them at all! I was totally perplexed. I took a wobbly step forward around the bus shelter and saw something I was very relieved to see: a Chinese version of a Brinks armored truck, and two men in suits unloading a huge metal box with handles, which they walked right into a bank, escorted by four of the five men with guns. Two of them flanked the door and stood there looking menacing, while the other two escorted the men with the box into the bank. The fifth man stayed with the armored truck. I took another couple of wobbly steps and got into a taxi, relieved that what I saw had nothing to do with the protests. Since that day, I've noticed money delivery men more often, taking money to or from stores, in pairs, again with the big riffles. I guess the bank must have had a lot of money that day to require five guys with big guns! </div> <div> <B><U>A Little Local Culture, Anyone?</U></B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> I was so thrilled when Michael finally came home late Thursday night. Not just because I could then lay in bed and get over the stomach bug, or because I could hand off the diapering duties to someone else, but because I missed him so much. It's no fun to be in an exotic locale without him, and have to deal with sullen and weepy children who miss their daddy so much. To surprise Michael, I got tickets to see a show on Saturday night. I booked a babysitter through the Parkview, and then smirked at Mike all day Saturday, like the cat who ate the canary. I don't know why, as I'm the one who loves surprises, not him! We spent the day taking various forms of transportation around Hong Kong, in an effort to please Nathan. We finally took a tram (what Nathan calls a trolley car), which are electric double decker railed vehicles that have been in operation since 1904, over 100 years! They are slow, but a fantastic way to see the island. The best part is the price: about a quarter for an adult and a dime for a child. We got on one that seemed slightly less crowded than the rest, climbed to the top level, and stayed on for about an hour cruising high above the cars and seeing some colorful neighborhoods. We left the Tram and then took the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) which are the fast trains that quickly transport you all over Hong Kong. We exited the train and had lunch, then went home via taxi for a quick swim in the Roman Baths here at the Parkview before dinner. </div> <div> I presented the tickets for the show to Michael, and told him we were seeing "The Fantastiks", an American musical about a boy and a girl who fall in love (uh, that goes without saying, aren't all American musicals about that?) which was having it's closing night at the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts (HKAFPA). Here's the kicker: The whole show was to be performed in Cantonese! Michael said "cool" which is as close to doing cartwheels as you'll get with him, and off we went. The HKAFPA is a school that teaches everything in the realm of performing arts. This was a student production we were seeing, and it brought back memories of my first year of college when I worked on The Fantastiks 12 years ago (I had the exhilarating job of manning the flyrail). Let me just say the show was, to use Michael's word, cool. To see these young aspiring actors sing their hearts out in a foreign language was an amazing experience. It was in a tiny theatre, and the audience was a mix of parents, fellow students, a few small children, and one guy in the front row who read a comic book through the whole show. We were the sole foreigners, and everyone looked a little surprised to see us and then smiled brightly (perhaps they thought we were talent scouts?). </div> <div> Cantonese is a language that relies a lot on the tone of your voice to convey the meaning. The same exact word pronounced with a falling ending vs. a rising ending can have two wildly different definitions. So I imagine that singing in Cantonese has to be one of the more difficult things you can do, since the notes of the music dictate whether the word falls or rises. It was really amazing. But the coolest part was the curtain call. I noticed all the girls in the show had tears streaming down their faces and pointed it out to Mike. When the curtain call ended, a man in a suit (we assume he was the director) walked out and gave a long speech, calling various people up to the stage, where they were given bouquets of flowers and lots of applause. Pretty soon it felt like we were the only people still in the audience, and of course we had no idea what the man was saying. I was scared we were going to be called up! Then, everyone picked up their programs and joined in a rousing five choruses of "Do you remember, the days of September..." in Cantonese. It was neat to see this little slice of real life in college theater, us being "theater people" and all. And speaking of theater...<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>What does Michael do for a living, anyway?</U></B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Well folks, it's time for the nitty gritty truth. I had great intentions and high aspirations of finally clearing the fog away so everyone could understand how my husband earns a paycheck. Those of you out there who happen to also be technical directors were kind enough to write with helpful remarks along the lines of "wonderful! Someone's finally going to come up with a job description for what I do", and here, let me go ahead and quote Michael himself: <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Verdana" ><I>"Wow, I can't wait for this either!! Finally, someone will tell me exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. Something I've been wondering since I've started this job!!".</I></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Verdana" > </FONT>Who can handle <I>that</I> kind of pressure! After repeated attempts at trying to be serious, then funny, then even trying to create a long winded poem in iambic pentameter, I just have to say, uncle! I give! I must admit my failure and move on. Otherwise, this is going to end up being Week Four <I>AND</I> Week Five. I'll keep it on the backburner, though, and I swear if all the pieces come together and I manage to write something that actually makes sense regarding Michael's career choice, you'll be the first to know! In the meantime I guess it will remain a mystery. And I learned something else, too, after four straight days of trying to write and rewrite something that I thought would be exciting and fun which slowly turned into something boring and chore-like (with children throwing legos at me no less!), that I'm never again going to give you a sneak peak at what's going to happen the next week!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>And now for a sneak peak at next week!</U></B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> No, seriously! I can do it this time! We're halfway through next week! It's midnight on Thursday in Hong Kong! </div> <div> The big news is: We're about to have our first guest! Michael's sister Holly is arriving on Saturday for ten whirlwind days of sightseeing! But while we move furniture around and prepare for the adventures to come, you can check out this week's photos.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Happy traveling!</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>Heather, Michael, Nathan, and Benjamin Chase</B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="771" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 292 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="183680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The sunset as seen from our bedroom window.</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="185680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Nathan and his swim goggles</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 325 WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="187680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> It's official!  We are Hong Kongers!  Here we are at that immigration building, picking up our ID cards proving we are legal residents!</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="189680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The Hong Kong Island tram ride</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 398 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="18b680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A view from the tram.</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="1a0c2680.jpg" border=0 width="194" height="360" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The tram behind us, so you have an idea of what we were riding in.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 292 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="18d680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Dragon statue in Wan Chai</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="194680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The boys in the garden at the China Resources Building.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 292 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="192be0e0.jpg" border=0 width="702" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The Nine Dragons Wall in Wan Chai at the China Resources Building</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 382 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="198680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Nathan the lion tamer.</div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="19a0e680.jpg" border=0 width="270" height="360" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> This is my lion, says Ben.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 562 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="19cd01c0.jpg" border=0 width="720" height="540" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The garden at the China Resources Building</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 325 WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="18f680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Oh my goodness!  There is so much food in this child's mouth that it has started coming out of his ears!!!</div> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="19e680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Seeing Ben devour one of my yummy cupcakes (made with our new electic hand mixer) made me realize that his second birthday is only two months away... Waaaaa!</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>